wedding hair sleek looks

Welcome to BACK2MYROOTS B2MR:

A place to share thoughts post comments and idea's on matters relating to hair colouring skill and techniques and anything industry related.

Reflection's on wedding day hair the look the style and the stresses: But also a honest look at ability challenges fear's.

learn to back comb and build shape.

My daughter's wedding was just a week away.  She arrived for that final colour touch up that final up do run through that final practice after much talk and deliberation between us. Lots planning lots open discussion thoughts view's opinions shared.

As both a stylist and as her Dad no pressure right! Think again. This is one up do more than any that has to look amazing! Not that they all don't all have to. But I digress. This is about attitude and facing fear!!

One of many practice sessions finding the look.

The challenges of doing my daughters hair for her wedding. The self imposed pressure all fell away on the day she looked amazing. The colour worked. The look perfect.

Embracing the up do.

Lets start this journey of honesty and discovery. I have to take you back to the late 70's! Yes it's been that long.
My initial training was an apprenticeship in London pre day release to college. It was far from good lots shampooing cleaning little to no training. So I made a change to get the right training. For cutting and styling the right move.  An excellent training not easy very demanding but I was trained and  taught by some of the very best even by today's standards.
Having finished my training thinking the sky is the limit. knowing everything and yet knowing nothing. I was on the salon floor doing clients. I was always good with consultation being a people person it came easy so did building up a clientele fortunate for me. On reflection at the time I was so un-skilled.  Not fully skilled in so many area's. The art of hair colouring putting hair up! yes this is me being honest!

practice session doing colour and up do.

Wedding hair.
As you build up a clientele you tend to attract clients a following of in my case young women around my age you get to know them they recommend you so it start's success! . The big problem is we are all growing up maturing at the same time. So it follows wedding season that taking a relationship to the next level all happens at once. Your clients are coming in excited waving engagement rings talking weddings talking wedding hair!! Yikes I hated putting hair up!

I had never been taught or  shown how to put hair up. Backcombing went out the window as I started training. Vidal changed all that!

Here I was busy successful busy being asked to do wedding hair. Plans dates being set for me this was days out of London huge events big on the social calender Marquee in the garden very formal.
I was clue less! I was scared why? I had no idea how to play with and enjoy putting hair up. I did not have the skill,

To get around this I would suggest hair to have any look but up. I would say. Oh i will be on holiday then! Fear fear fear! I could blame poor training. To some degree true but the bottom line is I owed it to my self and my clients to get over this. To learn. To grow. To challenge myself get the skills.

It's the full package Hair .Make up. Dress. Accessories

It started with asking for help some basic up do techniques at the time that roll was always a life saver

soft sweeping role bung on some flower's or a tiara off you go. This worked but was very unsatisfying for me . As you might have guest it's all about me!

I muddled through may weddings some of them huge events I never really enjoyed any of them.  That on reflection is very sad. I feel that I missed out on a great deal and did not give my best to my very loyal clients. I had such amazing clients who shared their day with me. Invited me to the wedding brought me right into the center of the day the event and yet I blew it through fear.
I missed out and although they don't know it i let them down because I did not gain the knowledge and the training the tools I needed.
Don't be as I was! Don't miss out on or diminish an experience because . Your own ego and fear holds you back.
Sharing this with you is in the hopes that it will encourage all stylist's to challenge themselves. I did the work faced the fear got the knowledge and skill.

added a hint of blue with false strand.

For me now I have taught up do classes. Put hair up for hundreds on stage talked about the look the skill the challenges and yes the struggle the fears. Head set. Huge video screen. Sharing my journey trying to encourage. How through learning. Admitting to my self that I need to do this to face this to get over this lack of knowledge the fear!

How can one learn that hair is a medium to play with. To explore shape and texture be creative. Like cutting their is no right and wrong just shape and form that works get over this get over your self and it's half the battle won.

Now as I write this I reflect on the main stage shows the standing ovation's. The looks created the questions asked about technique at an Avantgarde show and wonder why did I not get this earlier!

Maybe I was. Unwilling. Unable. To stubborn. Not ready.

Embrace the up do it's an art it's takes you to creative levels it's another way to express you skill and talent.

That special day

Mike B2MR
A big thank you Emily for letting me share these shots.